On a gorgeous September afternoon in 2022 I came across these three veterans buried in Winchester Cemetery, Byron Center, Michigan. Thought you'd like to meet them.
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| George Otto, 126th Infantry, died in France |
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| Levi Higby, 6th Michigan Heavy Artillery, died in New Orleans, LA |
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| James A. Burwell, 126th Infantry, killed in the Argonne Forest, France, buried in France |
John E. Spalding was 24 years old when he enlisted in Company E, 3rd Michigan Reorganized Infantry on September 3, 1864, at Grand Rapids, for three years and was mustered on September 9. He was discharged at Benton Barracks, MO, on September 28, 1865.
He eventually returned to Michigan and settled in Grand Rapids township. He is buried in Mason Cemetery.
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| Theodore Castor, Company C |
Wounds
Very few were wounded by cannon fire and there were no reports of men being wounded by bayonet although hand-to-hand combat did happen.
Company I had the highest number of men wounded (48), while Company A had the lowest number (28).
By engagement:
In the week of May 5-12, 1864, alone, the Old 3rd Michigan suffered 88 wounded (or nearly 23% of the total wounded).
Disabilities
During the war 434 men were discharged and 40 officers resigned from the 3rd Michigan on account of a disability of one type or another.
Another 65 men from the Old 3rd who had been consolidated into the 5th Michigan were discharged for disability.
Altogether some 539 or more than 38% of the total enrolled were discharged for disability.
At least 42 men suffered the loss of a limb. Some of the more common disabilities reported were: Asthma, bronchitis, consumption, deafness, dysentery, epilepsy, gunshot, heart disease, hemorrhoids, hernia, measles, pneumonia, rheumatic fever, rheumatism sunstroke, trauma or accident, typhoid fever, varicose veins and venereal disease
Reenlistees
Between late December of 1863 and March of 1864, 206 men reenlisted for three more years of service. Company G had the highest number of reenlistments, 24 (or 13.4% of the total reenlisted). Company B had the lowest with 11 (6.1%). The average reenlistment was 18 per company.
Transfer and Second Units
Aside from the 362 men who transferred into the 5th Michigan Infantry following consolidation in June of 1864, some 357 Old 3rd Michigan men were either transferred or discharged and reentered the military.
Of that number 57 would join a third unit.
At least 195 men entered a second Michigan unit.
If we add the 357 men who reentered a second unit to the 362 men who were transferred to the 5th Michigan infantry, we arrive at a grand total of 719 men who served in a second unit, or 51% of the overall total of men who served in the Old 3rd Michigan.
Former Old 3rd Michigan soldiers also enlisted in units of other states as well as the federal armed forces:
